Plumlee slowly steps into starring role

Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 04:08 PM.

Duke forward
Mason Pl
umlee has looked every bit as much of the
All-Atlantic
Coast
Conference player that coach Mike Krzyzewski talked him up to be before the season.

Even if Plumlee wanted to deflect praise and keep it modest when the senior scored a career-high 28 points against
Florida
Gulf
Coast
on Sunday.

Minutes after
Plum
lee had downplayed his career night — on 9-for-11 shooting and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line — Krzyzewski said there could be times when Plumlee doesn’t come out of games.

“He may end up playing all 40 minutes in a game,” Krzyzewski said. “A number of our former players who are really good players played the whole game.”

Through three games,
Plum
lee is averaging more than 21 points per game. And when he impacts a game like he did against
Florida
Gulf
Coast
, it creates more space for teammates, such as fellow senior forward Ryan Kelly.

“Every time I go to the boards I feel a couple guys on me,” Plumlee said. “That’s good, (because then) I think guys like Ryan find their free boards.”

It’s a version of
Plum
lee that, if consistent, would give Duke a strong forward combination when mixed with Kelly’s outside-shooting abilities and the rest of a guard-heavy attack.

Duke forward Mason Plumlee has looked every bit as much of the All-AtlanticCoast Conference player that coach Mike Krzyzewski talked him up to be before the season.

Even if Plumlee wanted to deflect praise and keep it modest when the senior scored a career-high 28 points against FloridaGulfCoast on Sunday.

Minutes after Plumlee had downplayed his career night — on 9-for-11 shooting and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line — Krzyzewski said there could be times when Plumlee doesn’t come out of games.

“He may end up playing all 40 minutes in a game,” Krzyzewski said. “A number of our former players who are really good players played the whole game.”

Through three games, Plumlee is averaging more than 21 points per game. And when he impacts a game like he did against FloridaGulfCoast, it creates more space for teammates, such as fellow senior forward Ryan Kelly.

“Every time I go to the boards I feel a couple guys on me,” Plumlee said. “That’s good, (because then) I think guys like Ryan find their free boards.”

It’s a version of Plumlee that, if consistent, would give Duke a strong forward combination when mixed with Kelly’s outside-shooting abilities and the rest of a guard-heavy attack.

“Teams are going to key on Mason as the guy, so luckily we do have great shooters and our coaches are going to mix up the gameplans to get him more space,” guard Tyler Thornton said.

Before the season, Krzyzewski said one of the keys for this team would be for Plumlee to become assertive within the offense, and perhaps take that a little further.

“He has to be selfish. A good player has to be selfish,” Krzyzewski said. “Whoever is leading the group has to be like, ‘I want to be great.’ ”